When It Counts
by Kayiza
Summary: Sometimes love can be found in most ordinary places, and sometime you don't even see it coming. But loving someone means knowing them fully-every smile and every scar, yet still willing to stay. Love is fleeting, but when it counts, it stays. Ongoing GaaHina Fanfic with a tiny bit of SasuNaru, ShikaTema and KibaSaku. Former Name: Surprises
1. Chapter 1 - Coffee

**A/N:** I just love GaaHina, okay? This was going to be a one-shot...guess not. Review please! I'll update ASAP! I tried to keep them in character. I know Hinata sounds pretty pitiful right now, but she's nervous, so give her a break. She'll loosen up a bit soon...I hope.

**Disclaimer:** Annnndddd, I don't own Naruto, though I'd really like Sasuke for my birthday ;-)

**Warning:** Mature content may be there in later chapters. But I'll write them as separate chapters and give a warning in the previous chapter so that you can skip the scenes if you want. I'll change the rating to M if I write the scene. Well, you'll probably read it anyway, you pervert ;)

And review, please :3

**EDIT**: The name of this story has been changed from "Surprises" to "When It Counts", just saying. The old name isn't fitting the plot that's been forming in my head.

* * *

Gaara sat at the edge of his seat as his fingers tapped impatiently on the cool smooth teak table. His day had started rather horribly, a lot more horrible than his winter monday morning should have been. He had stayed up late the previous night covering his sister's shift which lead him to waking up half an hour late, with his permanent dark circles darker than ever, only to realize his brother and sister finished all the hot water thanks to their habitual royally long showers. Shivering and mentally cursing, he had walked into his closet and pulled out his formal white shirt, _except_ it was a bright shade of pink, which he could only deem as the after-effect of having it thrown in the washing machine along with Temari's red dress. Just when he thought things couldn't get worse, his coffee maker short circuited, and he could simply _not_ not have coffee! And now the damn waitress seemed to have forgotten his existence!

Of course, she _may_ have been busy with the other customers in the over-crowded diner that smelled like cinnamon and coffee, but that didn't lessen the irritation he masked behind his stoic turquoise orbs. He felt a twinge of regret for having come to the small diner out of sheer desperation to obtain his daily dose of caffeine. He sighed exasperatedly as he decided to divert his mind in a feeble attempt to make the wait seem less long. His eyes traveled around the room, taking in the crowded, yet strangely comforting atmosphere of the little dinner. His eyes slowly moved to the entrance of the diner as a little _ding_ announced the entry of yet another customer.

Before he realized it, his calculating gaze lingered at the pretty stranger. The new addition to the crowd sported a light gray coat over her pale lavender shirt. Her formal skirt ended modestly at her knees. Soft, pale gray orbs slowly scanned the crowd for a possible place to sit, as the ravenette's fingers nervously fiddled with her long lavender scarf. Gaara continued to observe her as she cautiously approached his table, which had a free seat. He winced slightly as remembered his sister's remark about how his icy aura always seemed to keep strangers at bay.

"C-Can I sit here?" she asked politely, her voice barely above a whisper.

Gaara gave her a quick nod as he pretended to stare at the rather uninteresting texture of the wooden table before him.

"Th-thank you." she replied quietly as she took to staring at her lap uncomfortably. He continued to stare at the swirly concentric oval pattern of the wooden table as he heard a soft sigh escape her pink lips. He looked up from the corner of her eye, only to see her thoughtfully biting her lower lip while throwing nervous glances at the wall clock.

"Are you alright?" he found himself asking her, to his utter shock. He was never the kind to bother about anything that wasn't his business.

She gave a little squeak of shock as she looked up at him, her face turning a shade that would make a firetruck jealous. Cool turquoise optics calmly stared back at her pale gray orbs, which glinted with a mysterious hint of lavender. Slowly exhaling, she blinked a couple of times before nervously balling her fists in her lap, trying to overcome her shock and form coherent words.

"N-nothing. Its just...T-today is the f-first day of m-my new _job_...umm... C-cold feet?" she laughed weakly.

"I see." he replied as he felt the corners of his lips slightly twitch in amusement, "Well, what _job_?"

He saw her only hesitate momentarily before replying, "An assistant t-to the CEO of a c-company."

He raised a pale eyebrow, before slowy replying, "In most companies, the CEO interviews his own assistants. So if you've already met him, there should be nothing to be worried about."

"Y-you are right. B-but the CEO of th-this company didn't do so. I-I was interviewed b-by the vice p-president of the c-company as the CEO w-wasn't present." the pale woman replied hastily, her fingers continuing to nervously tug the end of her scarf, "Sh-she was a n-nice woman. B-but as I w-was leaving the b-building, I heard some p-people discussing that the CEO w-was...w-well...umm..."

She pressed her lips into a thin line, trying to pick out the right words.

"Was?" he pressed, slightly impatient.

"_A s-slave driver._" she whispered darkly.

The redhead chuckled internally as he blankly stared at her.

"I-Its not f-funny." she muttered, her lips pulling into a small pout as she felt her heart flutter oddly.

Gaara was mildly taken aback the woman's ability to comprehend what he was thinking. Nobody could see through his blank expressions. Nobody except perhaps Kankuro and Temari, but even they needed _years_ of practice. _Perhaps she had a gift. That could be a very bad thing_, he thought to himself like the mild pessimist he was. His train of thought was interrupted by the gentle _clink_ of his coffee cup hitting the table. The waitress threw him an apologetic smile as she maneuvered herself around the messy assortment of tables.

"I didn't say it was."he replied flatly with feigned innocence as he sipped the bitter brown-black liquid from the plastic cup, "Anyway, what is your name?"

"H-Hinata. Hinata Hyuga." she whispered, praying that her face wasn't as red as it felt.

Gaara froze momentarily as his mouth opened slightly. He drained the remainder of his coffee in one gulp and stole a quick glance at his watch.

"I'm running late, miss Hyuga. I must leave now." he stated evenly as he picked up his briefcase.

Hinata's face instantly regained its original ivory complexion. She wore an expression of mild disappointment as she gave him a little nod, not meeting his eye. And before she realized it, he was gone. It was only a couple of minutes after the red-haired man disappeared that she realized with a twinge of regret that she had forgotten to ask him _his_ name.

* * *

**A/N:** Now wait for chapter two...I guess. Review?


	2. Chapter 2 - Beginnings

**A/N:** I finally got around writing this even though I have like TONS of tests this week. Oh well, I have priorities. Thanks for the reviews :3

So, this chapter might be a little bit of a drag and there aren't many GaaHina moments, but wait for it, okay?

And I don't own Naruto. But I do own Sasuke...and he's gone. What an ass.

* * *

Hinata slowly drained her coffee cup, subconsciously trying to delay the start of her day as much as she could. She was truly happy that she got a job as the assistant of the CEO of one of Konoha's top companies. She let her thoughts take over as she conjured up the worst case scenarios of what could happen on her first day. She could be lost in the building. She could get stuck in the elevator with _unpleasant_ company. _She could trip over the stairs in front of everyone and be scarred for life._ She could as much as she knew she was being _ridiculously_ irrational, she couldn't help being impractical when she was edgy.

Her train of though was suddenly cut of by the blaring of her phone.

"_Can we pretend that airplanes_  
_In the night sky are like shooting stars?_  
_I could really use a wish right now_  
_Wish righ-_" "H-Hello?" she asked hastily, her features heating up in embarrassment as she realized that a few people were staring at her.

"_Hinata!_" a female voice boomed at the other end.

"Sakura? W-what is the matter?" she asked in panic.

"You were supposed to reach here an _hour_ ago!" her roommate whined.

"B-But you said-"

"I know what I said, but we were supposed to have breakfast together. You were going to treat me for getting a job." she replied matter-of-factly.

Hinata froze as she remembered her promise.

"I-I'm so s-sorry, Sakura. I-I..." she stuttered guiltily as the woman on the other end of the phone sighed exasperatedly.

"You probably forgot because you were stressed. Oh well, don't worry too much though, I ran into Kiba and I had breakfast with him." Sakura replied with a little laugh, "But seriously though, don't do that again."

"I won't." Hinata replied apologetically. Even if she did keep her promise, she doubted she would have had any breakfast at all with her lack of appetite that particular morning.

"Hmm... okay then, see you at work. Be there on time. _Akamaru! That omelet was for ME!-_Bye Hinata-_KIBA! You're even worse!" _and the line went dead.

The ravenette wore an amused expression as she pulled out the charge and a tip for the waitress, and made her way to the door behind which the mysterious redhead had disappeared not so long ago.

* * *

Presentation for weekly market stocks meeting. Check. Approve project C90. Check. Request Human Resource Depatment for details of employees working under project QCL. Check. Renew supplies for-

"GAARA!"

He looked around startled as he saw his sister glaring at him.

"_What?_" he snapped, visibly annoyed at the interruption.

"Don't you _dare_ zone out when I'm talking to you!" she warned as she took another bite out of her sandwich.

"Fine. What do you want?" he replied after a full minute.

"I was telling you that I need you to cover for me today too. After lunch." she said with an exasperated sigh.

"_Again?_ But _why?_" he asked incredulously.

"I have other..._appointments_." she replied slowly.

Gaara sighed. Working overtime meant his new assistant would have to work overtime too. Temari's shady disappearances was not only causing inconvenience to him now. The redhead nodded tiredly as he got up and left the canteen, annoyed at the large workload he was taking without even knowing why. _She better pay me back for this someday_, he thought darkly, as he got into the elevator and pressed '12'.

* * *

It had been five full minutes since she pulled into the parking lot, her anxiousness increasing with each passing second. She inhaled sharply as she felt a knock on her window. She slowly opened the door as her roommate raised a perfect pink eyebrow.

"W-what?" Hinata muttered as she diverted her eyes.

The corner's of Sakura's lips twitched slightly as she shrugged casually.

"Its nothing, you look cute when you're nervous." she replied with a grin.

"You're not helping!" replied the pale girl, who's features now had a reddish tinge to them.

Sakura giggled behind her hand as she pulled Hinata out of the car.

"We have some time on our hands. I'll show you around!"

* * *

Hinata stared at the huge map of the building which hung in the reception. Suna Industries was a twelve storey glass building which stood proudly at the heart of Konoha. Each floor housed about 300 employees and had seven conference rooms. The higher ups and their assistants operated on the top floor, a small consolation for the ravenette as she would be on the same floor as Sakura, the vice-president's assistant.

Sakura continued to explain about the holidays they get, the canteen and other things that Hinata wasn't really concerned about. But she heard her out anyway, masking her mild disinterest. The waited in front of the elevator as the doors slid open revealing two men passionately making out. Hinata's jaw dropped as her face heated up, while Sakura simply grinned and stared. The shorter one, who was blonde, was the first to realize that they were being watched and instantly untangled himself from the taller, hungry raven.

"Having breakfast, I see." the pinkette teased, as the blonde's face turning a light shade of pink as he was dragged out by the now moody raven, who simply grunted in reply.

"W-wh-" Hinata managed to mumble, still in a state of shock.

"Oh, them? That's just Sasuke and Naruto from the QC Department. You see, the company policy forbids any male and female employee doing PDA and all that crap here, but those two idiots found a loophole and nobody really minds enough to complain." she replied hastily, before slowly adding with a wink, "Quite an eyeful, right?"

Hinata simply blinked in response as Sakura dragged her into the elevator. After what felt like forever, lift stopped at the twelfth floor. Unlike the ground floor, this floor was a lot more spacious. Models of building stood in glass cages. Sakura mumbled a quick goodbye before she went to her office. Hinata hesitantly approached the brunette at the front desk, who was busily tapping at her computer.

"Umm...I'm Hinata. I'm...I'm the n-new- "

" -assistant for the CEO. I know." the woman cut in impatiently as she pulled out the phone and dialled the intercom.

"Mr. Sabaku, your assistant has arrived. Should I-" she queried in a calm professional tone.

"_Yes_, Matsuri." the voice on the other replied flatly.

Matsuri pointed to the CEO's office, before continuing to tap the keyboard.

Hinata momentarily hesitated before taking in a deep breath and opening the door. Her jaw dropped as she saw the familiar patch of red head leaning over a sleek black laptop.

"Y-You..." she spluttered as she stared at her toes, her cheeks burning as she remembered her little rant in the diner, "I didn't...I-I'm sorry."

They both stood in silence for a minute, the clock on the wall breaking it with its _tick tock_.

"Hello, _miss Hyuga_. I'm pretty sure we've met before." he said finally, with a small smirk.

"H-Hello," she whispered, to embarrassed to talk.

"Well, since I'm a well known _slave driver._.." he paused as his eyes flickered up to her face, studying her reaction, as she bit her lip in guilt, expecting the worst, "...I assign you the task of having lunch with me."

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry guys! I promise I'll have more GaaHina in the upcoming chapters! I know this chapter sucked a bit. Plus, my next update is probably going to take a while that's to my exams. Annnyyway, make me look forward to coming back by leaving a review please? ^-^

Also, I feel like my chapters are too small. Should I make the following ones longer? If yes, how long? This is my first multi-chapter fanfiction so I need your feedback.


	3. Chapter 3 - Feel

**A/N:** WAIT! FIRSTLY, CHECK OUT THESE AWESOME FACE CLAIMS I FOUND ON GOOGLE IMAGES FOR ADULT GAARA AND HINATA! The links are on my profile. They are perfect.

Now, thank you so much for the reviews, faves and follows. The emails I get notifying me of them make me look forward to writing!

Also, I hope you'll like this chapter. Its pretty long. And I've got some scenes in my head that I'm dying to write when they get closer. Some are fluffy and some are...well, lets just say I might change the rating to M soon. If you have any objections about me changing the rating in the future, PM/mention it in the reviews.

Also, as of now, the story is taking place a little past mid-January.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto. But Sasuke-kitty is my pretty little neko.

**EDIT:** I wrote this chapter half asleep. About a week later, I read it and realized how dumb it sounded. I made some minor edits. Doesn't change the plot though. Just tweaked some sentence structures and added a little more detail.

* * *

Hinata nervously tugged her scarf on the quiet journey to the restaurant. They didn't speak much, but the silence was surprisingly comfortable. She sent Sakura a short text informing her that she won't be joining her for lunch in the canteen. The sleek black Audi R8 pulled up in the parking lot of The Kage.

It was a two storey glass building, with walls of glass seperated by wooden pillars. On the rooftop, there were a lot of pale green umbrellas leaning over each white table. Hinata shivered as a cool breeze swept by her as soon as she got out of the car. She sighed as she tightened her scarf around her neck.

So far, her first day had been quite eventful. She talked to a stranger about something personal-something she's never done before. Then, she caught two men making out in an elevator. Then, the stranger had turned out to be her boss who was now taking her out for lunch. And he was also really handsome. Hinata's heart sped up at the thought. She squeezed her eyes shut and she shook her head. No. Her mind was being unstable. She _couldn't_ think that about her _boss_. It was probably the stress. Yeah...that should be it.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a light tap on her shoulder.

"Is something wrong?" he inquired, concerend.

"I j-just...I...N-no." she spluttered, her face heating up as she stared at her toes.

Gaara simply narrowed his eyes at her momentarily before walking towards the entrance. Hinata snapped out of her trance and ran to walk alongside him.

She slowly looked up at him, curiously. What could he always be thinking about behind that blank expression? His eyes stared straight ahead, sparkling like a turquoise gem as the sun hit them, expressionless, but still beautiful. He was only a couple of centimeters taller than her. He stood so straight, that it seemed he wouldn't bend even if someone tied a heavy sack of sand to his back. His intense eyes were curtained by soft red hair that seemed to point in several directions at once. The hair on the left side of his forehead was slightly longer than the right side, covering up the part between his hairline and his left eyebrow. His hair gently flew backwards as another wave of cool breeze hit them. Hinata's eyes widened as she thought she saw something written in red ink on his forehead, but dismissed it as a trick of the light.

"What?" she heard a voice ask. She suddenly realized that she was staring.

"N-nothing." she stuttered, tugging her scarf as a small smile played across her lips.

* * *

Shikamaru slumped down on the couch and sighed.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. But its time. He needs to go there. That's the only way he'll believe it." replied the blonde in a strained voice.

"This isn't the first time you've tried to make him go." It was a statement, not a question.

"Yes, but ever since father...died... he refused to go there. I try to explain the truth about her to him. He doesn't believe it."

The brunet sighed as deep brown eyes met cool teal ones.

"What a drag." he muttered under his breath, "Fine. Do you still have the keys? Have you visited that room before?"

"Kankuro has them, but I haven't gone inside. If I did, Gaara would think I fabricated it all just to give him some peace." replied the blonde sadly.

"So this is just a gamble. You don't even know what he will find." he pointed out.

"I know." she retorted defensively.

"Temari." he warned, "This could backfire."

Temari considered him for a minute before glaring at him and shaking her head stubbornly.

"Shikamaru, just tell me the plan. I'm not here to listen to you lecture me." she spat out.

* * *

Grey eyes scanned the menu as Hinata pondered on what to order. They were sitting at a two-seat table, which had a white rose in a pale green vase at its center. Gaara absently stared as he let himself get consumed by his thoughts.

He almost never ate out of the office canteen, much less with anyone who wasn't his brother or his sister. He had no idea why he said called this pretty girl only met that morning. Did he just think beautiful? _Well, everyone who has eyes can admire, right?_ he told himself, as his eyes traveled the petite ravenette. Her hair glowed dark blue in the sunlight that drifted through the large glass walls. Her pale skin glowed in the light, emitting a soft moon-like shine. She looked beautiful, he admitted.

Obliviously, Hinata bit her lip as she weighed her options on the menu.

"Sir?" a voice addressed him. He tore his eyes of the girl in front of him and raised them towards the source of the voice.

A woman in short black hair with purple streaks smiled at him.

"Yes?" he replied with a hint of irritation.

"I asked you what you would like order?" she replied, with the same smile.

"Roast duck." he replied flatly, his face softening a bit as he turned to pale girl before him "Hinata?"

Hinata's eye widened in alarm. He mentally chuckled at her indecisiveness.

"I-I guess I'll j-just...get the s-same thing you did." she managed to choke out. The waitress nodded, noting down their orders.

"Anything else?" she asked cheerily.

"Water." he replied. The waitress nodded again and left.

"Hina-"

"I-I just didn't know what to g-get. Besides everything l-looked good. N-not that I want t-to eat everything." she cut in defensively.

Gaara merely shrugged. Hinata ignored him as she pulled the white rose out of the vase and twirled it between her fingers. Gaara raised an eyebrow at her but said nothing.

Suddenly, he slid his hand over her's. Cool turquoise orbs met soft grey ones as her face heated up. His grip momentarily tightened, causing her blush to darken, before he pulled the rose out of her hands and placed it back in the vase.

"You need something for your hands to play with whenever you're nervous." he commented, "You should stop that."

Hinata opened her mouth to reply, but her brain refused to let her mouth form coherent words, so she merely nodded dumbly. The waitress returned with their orders and set them on the table with another cheerful smile.

Gaara suspected that she might be a friend of Sai. She seemed to smile a lot.

"So where did you work before coming here again?" he asked her as he took another bite of the roasted duck slices that lay on his plate.

"Hyuga C-corporation." she replied as her eyes flickered up to meet his.

"I've heard a good deal about it." he replied, before momentarily pausing, "Its owned by...Mr. Hiyashi Hyuga I think."

Hinata quickly inhaled and nodded, tearing her eyes off his.

"He has the same surname as you. Are you two related?" he asked slowly as he paused to drink some water. Suddenly he felt the temperature of the room drop a couple of degrees as he saw the ravenette's fingers wrap so tightly around her glass, it would take just a little more force to make it break.

"No." she replied in a strangled voice as her grip loosened.

The redhead's eyes widened. _She's hiding something_. Hinata looked up at him and smiled weakly.

"By the w-way, this good!" she murmured appreciatively, gesturing towards her plate.

Gaara stared at her blankly, surprised by her sudden change of subject. He nodded with a small smile.

"Hinata."

"Hmm?" she looked up.

"Nothing." he sighed.

* * *

Hinata rubbed her eyes as the early morning sunlight drifted through the lavender curtains. It had been two weeks since she started her career with Suna Industries, two weeks since she started her new job...two weeks since she met Gaara. She closed her eyes as her mind replayed the past two weeks that seemed to have gone so fast. She was given an office adjoining to Gaara's. It had one entire wall of glass looking out a the city. The view from the twelfth floor was breathtaking. Hinata would catch a ride with Sakura every morning to work and usually returned with her. And on days she had to work late night shifts with Gaara, Sakura would come an pick her up. And as for the professional side, initially, Gaara helped her out, but she was a quick learner and soon, got the hang of her duties. Sometimes they would go out to catch a meal and she realized that her new job wasn't as bad as she expected. On the contrary, she actually liked it.

_Things are looking up. _she thought to herself with a smile, looking forward to another day of her new life.

* * *

"Hinata, when is the January sales report due?" queried a silvery voice.

"Saturday the seventh. Five am in Konoha Standard Time. Six pm at the client's." she replied instantly, not looking up from her laptop as she scrolled though his agenda. Gaara scowled inwardly.

"Great. Its only Friday evening." he muttered as he stomped back into his office, which adjoined her's.

"Gaara!" she called out, getting out of her seat to follow him.

"I have a weekly assessment report due tonight. Also, I have more than two hundred emails. And, I have a meeting in from two to four. And another meeting from six to seven. And now _this_." he sighed listlessly as he stared out of his office's glass wall. The sun was halfway through its journey, covering the city in a blinding light.

Hinata glanced at him sympathetically. When she first met him, he didn't seem as much of a workaholic he was proving to be now. His dark circles were more prominent and his perfect, slightly tan skin now had a mild grey undertone.

"You didn't have much work to do on..." Hinata shut her eyes in thought, "Tuesday. You could have done it then."

"I had to leave early yesterday. I left about five minutes after you did. The movers were coming over." he replied promptly.

"What m-movers?" she asked, curious.

"I'm moved out. Well, actually Temari started it. She moved in with her boyfriend. Then my brother kind of told me to find my own place to. Not that I wanted to stay alone with him. He...well...he usually brings a new girl home every night." he explained.

"Oh." she replied dumbly.

"Well, I better get to work." he muttered after a long minute of silence.

"I can h-help you." she said slowly, before hastily adding, "If you're okay w-with it. I m-mean, you can focus on the sales report a-and I c-can do the rest."

He eyed her thoughtfully before nodding and going back to his desk, his chest feeling a little lighter.

"Thank you." he whispered inaudibly as she turned to leave.

* * *

Gaara paused from typing as he felt his fingers go numb. He interlinked his fingers and stretched, sighing contentedly as he cracked his kncukled. He glanced at his watch. One am. He was probably the only one who was in his office, he thought. Suddenly, he suddenly remembered that his assistant was in the adjoining room. He was planning to dismiss her over an hour ago. He quickly stood up and walked to his office door before hesitantly wrapping his wingers around the gold polished door handle.

He swung the door open only to catch a whiff of...lavender. Shocked grey optics met his turquoise ones as he felt her warm breath on her lips. Hinata's lips tingled as a blush started to creep into her cheeks. Her chest slightly touched his, her arms helplessly paralyzed at her sides. Her heart pounded so hard in her chest she was afraid he would hear it. She pressed her lips together, trying to focus on breathing and moving, something she seemed to have forgotten. The movement caused the redhead's to eyes slowly travel down to her velvety pink lips. They were so close to his own, he would only have to whisper to close the distance. He slowly closed his eyes, imagining what they would feel like...

"Hinata," he whispered in a husky voice, as his lips ever so slightly brushed against hers. Hinata's breath hitched as her cheeks darkened.

_Just a little closer..._

**BEEP BEEP**

The sudden loud sound caused them to jump up in surprise as Hinata snapped out of their moment and fumbled for her phone with trembling fingers. Gaara released a breath he didn't realize he was holding in. His featured fell into their usual stoic composure. But underneath was a feeling he couldn't put his finger on. Disappointment? Anger? No, its not like he was expecting anything. Right? He inhaled deeply and slowly exhaled as he felt his heart-rate slowed down. He did realize it was beating so hard. He felt as if he had been robbed-no, denied-of something he wanted._  
_

"S-Sakura is w-waiting for m-me in the p-parking-" she said in a small voice as she she tugged her the end of her long sleeves.

"Fine. Good night." he cut in flatly, before turning around

Hinata's lip trembled as she blinked back the hurt. She gave him one last glance, as turned and left silently.

"What have I done?" he groaned, burying his face into his hands.

* * *

**A/N: **What's Hina-chan's secret? What are Shikamaru and Temari plotting?

Well, wait and see. And while you wait, leave a review please :3

And, geez, this chapter was long!


	4. Chapter 4 - Dawn

**A/N:** Guess who's finally back with another chapter? :D

**Disclaimer:** I wish Naruto was mine. I want him. I need him..because Sasuke has feeling for him...in his pants. And I have feelings for Sasuke...in my pants. But no...Naruto isn't mine. Damn you, Kishi!

**Warning:** OOCness! Lots of it! But it will be explained eventually by the great Shikamaru Nara. Also, I was too tired (and lazy) to proofread this so be prepared for some serious errors.

* * *

Gaara stared out of the large glass window behind him, into the moonlit landscape beyond. It had been a week since his...his what? He had no idea what had happened between himself and the ravenette. But whatever it was, it resulted in him feeling a little distant from her. No, he wasn't angry with her. He was angry with himself, because for one of first times in his life, he had absolutely no idea what he wanted. He couldn't understand why he felt as if something was missing. Or why the feeling made him realize he had been missing something from the very beginning, or why Hinata was the one who made those dormant feelings awaken. A soft knock on his door brought him back from his trace as he swiveled his chair to face his laptop again.

"Come in." he said, after clearing his throat.

"I-I'm leaving. G-goodbye." he heard a soft voice state.

He nodded his head in acknowledgement, not looking up at the source of the familiar voice.

Hinata frowned inwardly, as she tugged the hem of her coat nervously. Things between Gaara and herself had no doubt become a little...strained, after their "incident". That night, Hinata could hardly sleep, her tossing and turning resulting in Sakura waking up and almost yelling at her, before seeing the disturbed expression on her friend's face. Sakura knew something was wrong, and managed to extract the reason behind it, in spite of Hinata's reluctance and resistance to reveal anything. Her friend was, undoubtedly, slightly attracted to her boss. But it was Gaara's behavior than confused her. She was well aware of the fact that Gaara was never very expressive, and Hinata wasn't detailed enough for her to actually comprehend what happened. Hinata herself, knew, that to an extent, she was attracted to her boss. But his apathetic demeanor worried her. She knew that the attraction would cease, and that it was normal for people to be attracted to...well, _attractive_ people! She resented his bitterness. They didn't go out for lunch or breakfast or anything for the past week. He wouldn't speak to her unless his profession demanded him to. So, she just went along with it. After all, she's been treated _far_ worse. Why she felt the urge to talk to him, informally, that instant, she knew not.

"Y-you should go, too! I-I mean...w-we don't really h-have anything t-to do!" she said, before she could stop herself.

"Hm. Maybe... " he replied, feeling lighter on hearing the raventte talk to him normally, or at least, as normal as it could be after that one week.

He shut his laptop and put it in his bag.

"Let's go." he said.

Hinata simply gave him a small smile and followed him out. He realized that it was the first time that week that he had seen her smile. It was contagious. He grudgingly admitted that he missed it. Missed her.

* * *

"An entire week?" yelled a loud female voice.

Gaara winced slightly as the blonde whacked him across his head, and settled with giving her a death glare which she promptly ignored.

"Are you even serious? What the hell was that for?"

"I don't know, Temari" he sighed, annoyed, as his hand massaged the abused spot on his head.

He had returned home to find his sister lounging on the couch, bored. He had given her a the spare set of keys for his house, as she was one of the few people he trusted enough to give it to. On being asked why she was there, she simply replied that she wanted to talk. Gaara had always found Temari's knack for knowing when he needed help very creepy, though he was secretly grateful that there existed someone out there who understood him almost perfectly.

"For fucks sake, what is your problem?" she shouted, exasperatedly.

Something inside Gaara snapped. The entire week of self-doubt, confusion and resentment just broke out, like a dam. He slammed his fist on the table, turquoise orbs glaring into shocked teal ones.

"I don't know, damn it! I don't know why I even give a damn to her. I don't know why her presence makes me feel good! I don't know why that good feeling is so familiar and I don't know why that familiarity scares the shit out of me! I don't bloody know why sometimes when I'm asleep I see her face and I don't know why it sometimes turns into someone I've never seen! And I don't know what I feel when I see that person! I don't know what I feel when I see Hinata smile. I don't know why her presence makes me feel better. I. Just. Don't. Fucking. Know!"

He felt lighter after his rant, his heavy breath being the only sound in the room. A flash of fear crossed the blonde's face. She had never seen Gaara get that emotional since..."_the incident_", several years ago. She shuddered at the memory. Clearly this girl was impacting her brother a lot. She raked her hair and exhaled slowly, trying to calm down.

"Gaara...?"

"What?" he replied, now a lot more calmer.

"I think you like her." she said, a small smirk playing across her lips, hiding the wave of apprehension that washed over her as she realized that she knew exactly who the mysterious stranger haunting the dreams the ravenette appeared in was.

* * *

Hinata nervously glanced around the parking lot. She had been dragged to a restaurant by an overexcited pinkette, who was celebrating her birthday. Everybody else had already left and Sakura, who had heartily consumed copious amounts of alcohol, left shortly after with Kiba to his place, after openly announcing that they were going to have some amazing drunk sex. She knew better than to catch a ride with them. She pulled out her cell phone, it's pale light bathing her porcelain skin in a soft glow. It was a quarter to midnight, she had no ride and all her friends were drunk and gone. She inhaled deeply before clicking the name of the last person she would dream of contacting for help after the recent events.

**[text : To Gaara]** I hope its no trouble, but I need a ride.

She stared at her phone, panic flooding through her as she realized what she had done, jumping a little as her phone vibrated a minute later.

**[text : From Gaara]** Okay. Where are you?

* * *

A few miles away, Gaara got into his car, inhaling a shaky breath. Temari was right, and he was going to do something about it. Even though he had nearly no experience in expressing the kind of feelings he had started to develop, he found it impossible to just sit around and wait. He wanted to do something about it. But what? Somehow, when he received the text, he had an uncanny feeling in his gut that he'll know what to do. He knew that seeing her with this new realization would give him answers...somehow.

The Audi pulled into the parking lot as turquoise orbs spotted a petite figure make her way towards it.

"Gaara." she whispered as he rolled down his window.

"Hmm?"

"Thank you." she said. The redhead smiled slightly as he realized she didn't stutter.

"Its no problem." he replied evenly, gesturing her to get in the passenger seat.

"I'm s-sorry for the t-trouble." she stuttered, entering the car, her cheeks reddening from the embarrassment of having to trouble him.

Gaara's smile vanished, replaced by a stoic expression.

"I said it's no problem." he repeated, before asking, "What are you doing out here anyway?"

Hinata shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"S-Sakura...Her b-birthday party..." she trailed off.

Gaara nodded understandingly. He had been to his fair share of parties and he knew how they usually ended.

The rest of the drive to Hinata's house was fairly quiet. Hinata's heart was racing. It was the the third time she was alone in the car with Gaara. The first and second being on her first day, when they went for lunch and when Gaara dropped her home that night. She was surprised that Gaara remembered the route even though it was a long time ago. Her eyes flickered to the man behind the steering wheel. He looked...different. But she couldn't put her finger on what the difference was. Her train of thought was interrupted as she realized that Gaara had stopped the vehicle in front of her house one full minute ago. Grey orbs met turquoise ones as Gaara got out of the car.

"I'll walk you to your door." he explained.

Hinata blinked, and then slowly nodded, getting out of the car and leading him to her door.

She cleared her thoat and pulled out her keys, turning around when she heard him say her name, only to see two strong arms press against her door, trapping her between them, a small squeak of surprise escaped her lips as her face heated up.

"G-Gaara...?" came a soft strangled whisper.

"Hinata." he replied, his breath husky and warm against her winter-chilled skin.

"I think... I..." he breathed, his heart racing, "...like you."

Hinata's eyes widened as she felt her heart was going to jump out of her chest. Gaara likes me, she thought, Gaara likes me! She tried to maintain a calm face as she tried to reply in an even voice.

"What m-makes y-you thing I do t-to?"

Gaara chuckled softly in her ear, before leaning in and whispering, "I don't see you trying to push me away."

With that, he pressed his lips against hers, her lips parting in surprise as the redhead slid his tongue in, ripping all the vestiges of coherence from his mind was lost to the drum of her hot blood and the tingle of his lips as he let himself drown in the hot wet feeling of her tongue eagerly responding, caressing his as she draped a hand around his neck, fisting his shirt in the other, pulling him closer. Gaara's arms slid around her waist, something she was grateful for as she felt weak in the knees. He finally found out what he wanted, he wanted _her_. The realization caused him to kiss her more vigorously, one of his hands moving upwards, raking her soft raven locks, only to be stopped by her soft hands pulling them away and interlinking her fingers in his own. He felt his chest constrict and realized he had gone far too long without breathing, instantly feeling the ravenette pull away, gasping. His soft, quick breath hit her skin, causing it to tingle. Gaara took in her appearance, which somehow, looked more beautiful. Her pale grey optics were glazed, he cheeks were flushed, her perfectly shaped pink lips were reddish and slightly swollen, and she was undoubtedly the most beautiful thing he had seen.

"I should go..." she whispered shakily, after what felt like an eternity.

Gaara nodded and pulled away, stopping when he realized their fingers were still interlinked, he gently kissed her knuckles, before detangling his fingers from her's, making a mental note to take a long cold shower when he got home. He could think about what he did later, but he was feeling too good right now. He didn't understand how he could feel so satisfied, yet long for more at the same time. Hinata watched his frame grow smaller, smiling despite herself as he looked over his shoulder at her, before slumping down against the door as he knees gave away. Her mind was still numb from the passionate kiss, leaving no room for contemplation on the events, as she gently placed a finger on her lip, reminiscing the tingle and warmth of the redhead's.

* * *

**A/N:** Maybe I'll upload another one this week if my schedule lets me. Reviews fuel my existence.


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